MATCH REPORT
Follow UsIn a match that went right down to the wire, Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt slammed excellent half-centuries to help South Africa successfully chase down a target of 159 and secure a thrilling six-wicket win against India. It was Wolvaardt who fittingly hit the winning runs off the final delivery of the match as the Proteas, with an unassailable 2-0 lead, sealed the T20 International (T20I) series win at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday (21 March 2021).
What a tremendous tour for @OfficialCSA women 2 x 🏆. First they win the ODI a series 4-1 & are now 2-nil in the T20s. This is without their usual skipper, sickness and injuries have meant plenty of opportunities for new and fringe players #buildingnicely 👏🏽👏🏽
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) March 21, 2021
SHAFALI SETS GREAT PLATFORM FOR INDIA
For the second time in as many games, Shabnim Ismail got the better of Smriti Mandhana early on. The Proteas pacer bowled a wide delivery, tempting the stand-in India skipper to go for a cover drive and was successful in inducing an outside edge, with wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta taking a sharp catch. Mandhana would have been disappointed to have failed to make a notable contribution once again.
Shafali Verma then unleashed a flurry of boundaries to ensure that India weren’t hampered much by the early wicket. It was a welcome sight as far as the Indian team were concerned as their scoring rate had been a bit of a concern over the last couple of weeks. The visitors, on the other hand, were found wanting in the field with Anneke Bosch dropping a catch of Shafali – while it wasn't the easiest of opportunities, with Bosch having to make up a lot of ground, you would’ve expected the catch to be taken.
Shafali was batting on 26 at the time and went on to score 21 more runs with an array of attacking shots. At the other end, Harleen Deol – coming off her best score in international cricket in Saturday's T20I – played a fine supporting role and the duo put on 79 runs from 56 deliveries for the second wicket.
While it was one-way traffic for a while, South Africa came back strongly with Nonkululeko Mlaba dismissing Shafali for 47. The India opener was bowled while attempting another attacking shot. Bosch then returned to the bowling attack and got the wicket of the other set batter, with Harleen dismissed in similar fashion as Saturday's game, caught at long-on by Shabnim Ismail while going for a lofted shot.
GHOSH PROPELS INDIA TO 158
But those wickets didn’t deter India, with Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues scoring 18 runs against Sune Luus in the 14th over.
Ghosh played a magnificent innings, scoring an unbeaten 44 from 26 deliveries, to propel India to 158/4 in their 20 overs. Ghosh ensured that the wickets of Shafali and Harleen didn't restrict the scoring rate as she adopted an attacking approach from the word go.
Earlier, Rodrigues was the fourth wicket to fall, perishing while attempting a scoop shot against Nadine de Klerk. She didn't get the timing she was looking for and was caught by Jafta for 16. Jafta, though, didn't have the greatest of days behind the stumps – while she missed a stumping earlier in the innings, she dropped Ghosh in the final over.
LEE WITH ANOTHER BRILLIANT INNINGS
In reply, Anneke Bosch – coming off two successive international fifties – didn't get going on this occasion as she was bowled by Rajeshwari Gayakwad for 2. But South Africa made a solid start despite that early dismissal.
Lizelle Lee was sensational in the ODI series, and after a rare failure in the first T20I, she was back to her best in this game. She reached her fifty in just 34 deliveries and ensured that South Africa were well in control of the run-chase. She had her moments of fortune as she was dropped twice, when on 30 and 60, by Ghosh – although the second one was a tough chance.
India's fielding wasn’t at its best once again, with Gayakwad dropping Laura Wolvaardt off her own bowling as well. But earlier, Deepti Sharma did provide some inspiration for the hosts in the field as her direct hit from the long-on boundary saw the end of Luus' innings for 20. That magnificent piece of fielding ended a 58-run stand for the second wicket between Lee and Luus.
Coming into this match, Radha Yadav had taken at least one wicket in her last 24 T20I games. While she was unlucky to have not got the wicket of Lee earlier, she finally managed to get a crucial breakthrough for India when she caught the Proteas opener off her own bowling. With Lee dismissed for 70, the hosts were right back in the contest.
WOLVAARDT INSPIRES SOUTH AFRICA TO VICTORY
Wolvaardt, though, was still around and she played a remarkable innings to guide South Africa to victory. There were two occasions during the final couple of overs when India would have thought they had the upper hand – once, when 17 runs were needed off eight deliveries, and the other, when six runs were required from the final two balls.
In the first instance, Wolvaardt hit back-to-back boundaries against Harleen to propel South Africa, while in the second, Arundhati Reddy bowled a full-toss no-ball which was a crucial moment in an enthralling contest. In a last-ball thriller, South Africa triumphed with Wolvaardt unbeaten on 53 at the end.
(Image Courtesy – BCCI)
